Chapter 74

His heart stopped briefly when he saw her pout like that. It made him wish she rejected him, maybe that way, she wouldn’t yearn for someone who put her in more danger with every step he took in loving her. He sighed inaudibly, not wanting to say longer, afraid he’d go closer and hold her in a comforting hug.

***

Later into the day, the sun had escaped the clouds, pouring into the open side of the compound where a bike sat half-taken apart under the shade. Cain was working on it because he needed something to keep his hands and mind busy while waiting for the outcome of Vic’s meeting with Liana’s father.

Oil stained his fingers, smeared across his knuckles as he tightened something into place. His singlet clung to his torso slightly, damp from the heat, his hair tied back but already coming loose at the edges.

Liana stood by the doorway, watching. There was something about the way he crouched over the machine all focused that left her watching. It was like eve